The Legend of Zelda: The Final Crisis
by paco fajita
Summary: What happens when Ganondorf is locked in the Sacred Realm for so long that Hyrule becomes a modern, functioning nation?
1. Chapter 1

**The picto-tube flickered in the darkness of the poorly-lit house. An older gentleman was sitting in a chair, while a younger man was seated at a desk across the room, a faint light flashing on his face, books littered around him.**

**"_On tonight's broadcast--"_ the anchor called.**

**"_-- Constitutional crisis. Citizens of Hyrule sound off on the nation's possibility of leaving a constitutional monarchy for democracy."_**

**The screen switched from the anchor to an image of two Castle City residents.**

**"_Democracy? It would be chaos if everyone had a say in our lawmaking," _one citizen cried, with his jaw squared rootedly in a grimace.**

**The other resident scoffed and said, _"You can't simply ignore those of us who demand representation in our government! Parliament will hear us!"_**

**Back to the anchor. _"Also on tonight's broadcast, Queen Regina Hyrule travels to neighboring nation of Clock Town on a diplomatic mission to Mayor Riker on our nation's current crisis."_**

**"Heh," scoffed the very rotund man, effusing over the newscast.**

**"Things just haven't been the same since the king was assassinated by those separatists three years ago, have they Link?"**

**The fat man turned in his chair, looking to his nephew.**

**_*click click click* _crackled the keys of the picto-comp's keys.**

**"No Uncle Fred, doesn't seem so," Link said halfheartedly while doing his homework on the picto-comp. He never really talked much, but his goading uncle always brought out not only ill-feelings, but the few words he ever spoke.**

**Uncle Fred turned back to his news, then swilled his beer, spilling it all over his shirt.**

**"… _It's no secret that the kingdom has grown exponentially in the last 30 years, but what does that mean for our natural resources? The Royal Electric Company reports that expected electricity consumption should increase another seven percent, but there isn't enough chu-jelly to provide for an increase of more than two percent. Sound off on our Web site on your take of the current crisis."_**

**"_On the science front, Prime Minister Anthony Balgame proposes a plan to remove the Triforce of Power from the Evil One, while keeping him safely locked in the Golden Land…"_**

**"Never happen!" Fred cried, spitting his beer on the picto-tube's screen.**

**The prime minister appeared on the screen.**

**"_We know the science is sound," _he began. _"We used this same process in removing the Triforce of Wisdom from Princess Zelda last month. Since we already have both Courage and Wisdom, restoring the third fragment could potentially settle a lot of the political problems we have. Just seeing the goddesses' promise could cool tensions immensely."_**

**The screen switched back to the anchor once again.**

**"_In our final story of the evening, it's springtime, and that means it's time for recruitment for the royal guard."_**

**Link's pointed ears perked up as he turned his attention to the picto-tube, leaving the homework he was working on as the cursor flickered lifelessly on the screen.**

**"_If you're interested in joining the Hyrule Royal Guard, recruitment officers will be waiting at the kingdom's four high schools-- Gerudo Valley Girl's Academy, Kakariko Preparatory School, Zora's Domain School and Castle City Integrated High School-- tomorrow."_**

**Link's uncouth uncle turned in his chair again-- his belly bulging in the process-- and said to Link, "You know what happened to your parents. Your mother wouldn't approve. Besides, I'm grooming you to take over the Super Item Mart one day. I'm not going to live forever."**

**Link scoffed in silence and grabbed his books, then turned toward the hall. "I'm going to bed. Got school in the morning."**

**Fred finished his beer, sucking clean the remaining drops of the beverage, then threw it against the wall, smashing it. "Boy, our country is screwed," he said while belching.**

**---**

**In his bedroom, Link dropped his books on the floor and plopped on his bed. He stared at the ceiling for a few moments, then turned on his side, facing away from the wall. On his nightstand were two pictographs-- one of a small child and his parents, and the other of five teenagers acting silly.**

**Link picked up the first pictograph, rubbed his finger across the mother and mouthed the words, "Mom." She was dressed in light armor, a sword on her waist-- obviously forged to mimic the design of the legendary Master Sword, which all the guards wore as a symbol of their national pride.**

**But that sword was nothing more than a legend, he continually reminded himself. No one had ever seen it.**

**The man in the picto-- his father-- was more identifiable. Not because he didn't know his mother, because he did, but because his father was once the manager of the Super Item Mart-- a position his uncle took over after that incident which left Link in his current living situation. Not something he wanted to think about. But in recent years, Link identified with his father more and more, because his uncle forced him to work at the Super Item Mart after the accident, at a lowly 80-rupees per week, knowing everyone else made 120.**

**But he chose to keep his mouth shut. Not because he rarely spoke, but because once he finished high school he was going to enlist in the Royal Guard, like his heroic mother, and leave his uncle's house. His uncle simply wasn't worth his time.**

**He put down the picture and rolled back to his back and stared at the ceiling again, the fan moving slowly, casting slowly spinning shadows around the room.**

**The other picture, though, were his friends from school.**

**He'd had a core group of friends since he was young.**

**Mako, a Zora, was Castle City Integrated High School's swim team captain. He single-handedly won the school the Hyrule Invitational three years running. He was Link's oldest friend. He was from the Domain-- what the elvaans called the Zora homeland-- and moved to Castle City as a child. Link befriended him early on, and the friendship stuck.**

**Then there was Tetra-- a very rambunctious girl, with a tomboyish streak a mile wide, but she dressed up well. Link had taken her to the graduation dance when they finished middle school. He'd gotten his first kiss that night-- from Tetra. "Why'd you do that?" he remembered asking. "Because you needed it," Tetra had said. She'd become a bit of a loner in high school, but she stayed true to her friends, even if she wasn't able to be found all the time. Link always wondered where she ran off to.**

**There were two other friends in their group whom they hadn't known as long. Link remembered when they started coming to the high school. The Elite Guard protected them with their lives. It disrupted classes for a while, and the principal wasn't happy, but in time, everyone got used to them skulking about in their jerkins and sun-goggles. They were high-priority students to the faculty. Zelda-- daughter of Queen Regina and princess of the kingdom, and her chambermaid, Lola. They were in the school as a sign to the separatists that the royal family wasn't afraid after King Daphnes was assassinated.**

**Lola.**

**Link had been in love with Lola since the first time he saw her. But because of his quiet nature, he never took the initiative to talk to her. And he never would have, had he not been made Zelda's chemistry partner two semesters back. He went to the castle to study with her one evening, when Lola came into the room and started talking to him. They became fast friends, but he never had the courage to tell her how he felt.**

**He loved his group of friends, and they all had a great time together, but high school was almost over, and Link was worried about them going their separate ways.**

**Mako's father was the representative from the Domain in parliament, so he was off to Hyrule University to study political science. Tetra-- heh, no one knew where Tetra was going. But Zelda and Lola were no doubt headed back to the castle to groom Zelda for becoming queen. After all, the queen wasn't getting any younger.**

**And Link was alone working at Super Item Mart. So he pinned all his hopes on getting into the Royal Guard. That way he wouldn't be left alone.**

**Link sat up on his bed, then looked around the room. He eyed his trophies, each draped with ribbons signifying his dominance in his sport of choice-- sailing. He could spend hours schooning around Lake Hylia, a peaceful and quiet place (when it wasn't summertime and filled with raucous students). But he hadn't had much time to do it since his uncle increased his hours-- and reduced his pay-- at the Super Item Mart. He had to quit the team, and it killed him inside.**

**He walked to the window, opened it and looked into the sky. It was getting cloudy, but he could still see the faint glimmer of Deku-da 1-- the kingdom's very first orbiting artificial satellite-- named after the mythical Deku Tree-- the foundation of all Hyrule's knowledge. There was a rumble of thunder, then tiny drops of rain pattered on his head. He closed the window and retreated to his bed, exhausted from a long day of school and work.**

**---**

**"Link."**

**"Link, I'm telling you for the last time, get your butt out of bed. You need to open the shop."**

**He heard his uncle screaming at him through the door. Rolling over, he looked at his chronograph, which was blinking 12:00. "Must have been a power surge," he mumbled to himself. He grabbed his watch, and it showed 5:30.**

**Groaning, he climbed out of bed and walked to the closet to get his smock. Opening his door, he looked down the hall to see his uncle had gone back to sleep in his recliner-- obviously passed out there from a long night of drinking. It frustrated him that when his uncle was hungover he had to pull double duty at the store and make it to school on time.**

**Ten minutes later, Link was ready to leave. Walking outside into the cool morning with his bag of books and keys to the Super Item Mart, he hopped on his bicycle and started pedaling down the damp roads of Castle City, six blocks to the shop, all the time cursing his uncle for not allowing him to get his voiture license. He could be there in just a few minutes if he were able to drive, but the bike took him another 10 minutes-- and the store had to open by 6 a.m.**

**He'd made it on time to the store. Opening the sliding-glass doors, he pressed a remote on the keychain to turn off the alarm system, then pressed another button on it, turning on the artificial lightning. He started getting ready for the day.**

**Link had been at work for about an hour, getting the store ready when Tetra walked in. Link saw her and waved as she was walking toward him, navigating the maze of shopping carts and Hyrule's elderly trying to get their supplies for the day, to Link in the manager's booth.**

**"Hi kiddo," Tetra said cheerily.**

**Link grinned and said, "Hello," then went back to his work.**

**Still intent on breaking the silence, Tetra said, "So I heard on the news last night the Royal Guard recruiters will be at school today. Anyone interested is supposed to go straight to the activities room when school starts."**

**That perked Link's interest. "Yeah, I heard," he smiled. "I can't wait. Maybe it will get me out of this fluorescent nightmare."**

**Tetra started to say something when she was interrupted by the store's speaker. _"Link to sports. Link to sports."_**

**He knew what that meant. Grabbing the key to the case for bows and arrows, he sighed very hard, then said to Tetra, "I'll see you at school. I've got to approve a weapon sale."**

**She smiled, then shrugged, slightly sad how bad life had gotten Link down since his parents' accident. Knowing there was nothing she could do about it, she walked out of the mega-mart and headed to school.**

**--**

**Link looked at his watch.**

**_7:50_**

**Undoubtedly, his uncle was still passed out in the chair back at home. Link was frustrated. Again.**

**_8:35_**

**He was late for school. But there was nothing he could do about it. He'd tried getting in touch with his uncle, but no luck.**

**_9:40_**

**Link's lecherous uncle finally came in, dressed slovenly, but ready for work. Link was livid, but said nothing. He grabbed his books and raced out the door for the school, hoping he'd still make it in time to speak to the recruiter.**

**---**

**It was 9:55. Link rushed into the school office, desperate to get a pass to class.**

**"Are the recruiters still here?" he asked the secretary.**

**She shook her head, "no," and said, "Perhaps you shouldn't have slept so late. You've got your future to worry about."**

**He swallowed the personal attack, got his pass and headed to class, totally downtrodden he'd missed his chance.**

**---**

**"But Lord Andrew, you can't possibly make this decision with the queen on a diplomatic mission."**

**In the Hyrule Parliament Council Chambers, 19 men and one woman were trying desperately to keep their nation from crumbling around them.**

**Andrew Balgame, prime minister of the kingdom scoffed and said, "The queen is simply a figurehead. No royal has had any real power in Hyrule for generations."**

**"We are the real power," he finished.**

**The representative of the Gerudo, and sole female in parliament, stood and said, "Minister, even touching the gate to the Sacred Realm could spell disaster. The last time it happened, the Evil One was released and covered the land in twilight."**

**Joxer, a representative from Castle City said, "But Rubicante, that's just an antiquated Gerudo legend. No one really knows if that 'twilight' really happened. I agree with the minister. All we know is Ganondorf-- also a Gerudo (he scowled at Rubicante)-- a male of your tribe tried to form a coup by overthrowing the king stealing the Great Power of the Goddesses. We don't know if he had any real power. He was just a man."**

**Incredulous, Rubicante burned with anger and cried, "You racist ingrate! How dare you besmirch the honor and integrity of the mighty Gerudo!"**

**In an attempt to break the debate, Marco, representative from Zora's Domain chimed in and said, "Could we please stay civil? We know the science behind removing the Triforce is sound, because of the successful extraction of Wisdom from the princess, but we're introducing a brand-new variable by opening the Sacred Realm. Power or no…"**

**"Power or no…" Joxer interrupted, "We can restore this kingdom's greatness in a single generation by recovering that piece."**

**Retaking his right to speak, Marco countered, "We don't know what we're in for. No one has tried to open that gate in a millennia. We don't know what kind of ancient magics we'll encounter."**

**The rest of the representatives chimed in at Marco's comment. One representative stood and said, "I say we vote. We need more time to research what will happen with this gate. The Royal Science Academy still has inconclusive results."**

**"I concur," one representative said.**

**"Second," another said.**

**In accord, many members agreed. Rubicante scowled and said, "We shouldn't be opening it at all."**

**Joxer, angrily, countered, "You're all making a mistake," then stormed out of the chambers.**

**Hastily, the prime minister pounded his gavel and said, "Dismissed until tomorrow," then quickly followed behind Joxer.**

**The members remained in the chambers, getting their things together to leave and discussing the possibility of recovering the Triforce, leaving Joxer and Prime Minister Andrew Balgame to their own devices.**

**The two of them quickly scurried into the prime minister's office and slammed the door behind them.**

**"I told you this wouldn't work," the prime minister said, wiping the sweat from his brow. He was a robust, larger man (but not fat)-- slightly balding-- and had a propensity to sweat often.**

**His complete opposite, Joxer was slender and younger. Balgame was obviously jealous of his level of fitness.**

**"Andy, come on. You know we can't do this without the Triforce," Joxer said, pounding his first on the minister's desk.**

**Balgame sighed hard. "I don't know. The separatist movement has been strong since the king was assassinated. Maybe we don't need to open the Realm. You know what the legends say about that psycho."**

**"They're only legends!" Joxer cried. "If you have the Golden Power, then people will flock to you as our new leader. We can finally move away from our stodgy, traditionalist kingdom to a modern democracy, like Clock Town is."**

**Sighing again, Balgame said, "That may be so, but aren't we doing fine so far?"**

**Still angry, Joxer turned away from the minister and said, "I was hoping I wouldn't have to do this."**

**Immediately, he started glowing, frightening the minister, who tried to leave the office. "Wh… what are you doing," the minister whined in fear.**

**"No, no," Joxer said, blocking his path, then started chanting, "Etra meas vor Ganon pox maliventis!"**

**A flash of light filled the room, then concentrated itself on Andrew Balgame. Screaming in pain, the prime minister fell to the floor.**

**Several moments later, he stood up, slightly cackling. "Joxer," he said.**

**"Yes Andy?" he replied.**

**"Gagh," the minister cried. "Don't call me that. It isn't my name. I am Agahnim. Emissary of the Evil One. And it's been a _long_ time."**


	2. Chapter 2

"**Your total comes to 12 rupees, ma'am."**

**Link was incredibly depressed after missing the recruiter that morning, and being back at the Super Item Mart didn't help matters. Especially after he caught his uncle in the office sleeping-- again. He felt as if things couldn't get any worse. He'd go to the guard house to talk to someone, but he didn't get off work until after their office hours ended. He knew it wasn't his last shot-- by far-- but it was a blow to his masculine ego.**

**Until something happened.**

**The owner of the Super Item Mart, Jed, walked in the store and called Link over to him. Knowing Jed could go over his uncle's head anytime he wanted, he felt no fear leaving the register to talk.**

"**Yes sir?" Link asked.**

**Jed smiled. He was a nice man-- always willing to go out of his way to make life better for his employees. "Link, I need you to go to Kakariko City to deliver this message for me."**

**Link's face lit up with delight. It was a chance to not only get away from his uncle for a while, but to get out of the big city that always seemed to keep him lost in its maze of bounding skyscrapers and subways. But then he got quizzical, "Couldn't you just send the message over the network?"**

**Jed smiled again. "Not this message. And I can't tell you about it." He reached into his pocket and pulled out 10 rupees, handed it to Link and said, "Go. Be quick and give this letter to no one but Groya, the owner of the north Super Item Shop. No one else, hear me? I'll take care of your uncle."**

**With a skip in his step and not stopping to ask another question, Link tossed off his smock on the swinging door of the manager's booth and darted out the front door of the establishment. He ran across the street toward the train platform, ignoring the oncoming traffic (which was honking at him loudly), tossed a couple of rupees into the toll, jumped the turnstile and ran onto the train.**

**He'd gotten to the outskirts of the massive metropolis of Castle City when he decided to get off the train and walk the "old road" along the Hylian River to Kakariko City. No one took it anymore, not since transportation was so readily available to get anyone across the realm in a relatively short time. Getting off the train, Link pushed the message into his back jeans pocket and hit the road in a quick, peppy stride. Besides, he needed to clear his head and this seemed to be the perfect time to do it.**

**Link had been walking for a little while, when he looked up and saw a swarm of keese flying through the sky. Dusk. It was getting dark, and when it got dark, it got dangerous. He hastened his step, able to see Kakariko City on the horizon, praying to the goddesses nothing went wrong.**

**Getting ever darker, Link realized what a stupid mistake he'd made. It was dumb of him to go walking the old road so close to dark.**

**From behind a large rock, two mobilns jumped out, sending Link into a terror.**

**Shaking violently, Link was unable to move in the presence of two monsters twice his height and size.**

"**Who we have here, Dunke?" the first moblin asked his friend.**

"**Look like elvaan. Take rupee?" the friend asked the first.**

"**Sound like plan to me!" the first said, pulling a large scythe from a sheath on his side.**

**It swiped at Link quickly, but caught nothing more than part of the coat he was wearing. Link dodged, rolling on the ground, edging himself back from the two mobilns, terrified this might be his end.**

**The two of them were backing Link up to the edge of the angry, churning river, cutting off any means of escape.**

**Suddenly, out of nowhere, an arrow flew through the first moblin's skull, protruding out through the other side. Blood spattered on Link's face, chilling him to the bone. The moblin fell to the ground, dead. The second moblin turned to look for the intruder, but as he turned, an armored man came down upon him, slicing him in two from head to rear.**

"**Well blimey, mate. Got ye'self in quite a pickle, eh?" said the armored man. Link knew by the armor this man was part of the Royal Guard-- a sergeant, so far as he could tell.**

"**Th… thanks," Link said in a complimentary tone. "If you hadn't shown up, I might have been their dinner."**

**The guard smiled, wiped the blood from his sword in the grass, then sheathed it. "Well boy-o, that'll learn ya not ta be goin' on the old road at night, eh?"**

**He extended his hand to help Link from the ground, pulling him to a bipedal state. "Name's Morup. Sergeant Morup. Third Battalion, Second Division, Her Majesty's Royal Guard Forces, esquire."**

"**Nice to meet you. I'm Link," he responded. "And again, thanks."**

"**No problem, mate. Just be avoidin' those bloody moblins in the future, eh?" Sergeant Morup said, preparing to walk away from Link, content on only an introduction and a hearty thanks for doing his duty.**

"**W… wait!" Link cried.**

**Morup turned and laughed loudly. "****Bollocks****, boy-o! Need some hand-holdin' the rest of the way to Kakariko?"**

"**N… no," Link responded. "I… missed the recruiter today-- to join the guards and all. I kind of… wanted to join after I graduated from school. Is it… I mean… at all, well, possible to talk to someone at the guard shack about joining?"**

**Sergeant Morup rubbed his face and said, "Not quite sure. I guess ye could inquire with Captain Tellah when he starts his shift in the evenings, back in Castle City."**

"**Thanks," Link said, getting back some motivation for his goal.**

"**Aye then. Goddesses save the queen," Morup started. "On my way. Fancy to meet you, Linken."**

**Correcting him, Link said, "It's Link."**

**Morup waved as he walked away, not even looking back to the young man he'd just saved  
**

**---**

**When Link reached the outskirts of Kakariko City, he quickly hopped the first tram he found, thankful to get out of the open-- and away from any danger coming his way. "Super Item Shop, please," he said, climbing into the tram.**

**The computer voiced whined, **_**"There are three in Kakariko City. Please make a selection."**_

**Link had to think for a moment. "Err, the north Super Item Shop."**

"_**Thank you. We shall reach your destination shortly,"**_** the computer whined as the vehicle climbed high into the air and zoomed quickly to the other side of the large city.**

**It wasn't often Link had a chance to leave Castle City. Although he'd been to Kakariko City fewer times than to the Domain-- where his mother often served-- and to Gerudo Valley (his dad had temporarily worked as store manager there when the Gerudo went to war with the neighboring Bedouin tribe, deep in the desert). But he knew where he was going, mainly with Death Mountain smoldering in the distance, acting as a constant landmark to his destination.**

**He relished the ride, reflecting on his indiscretion earlier in the evening. Although he knew, thinking to himself, if he'd just taken the train there and back, he would have been home by this time. But it was his evening-- and one that he'd certainly never forget.**

**The tram descended deep into the corridor of buildings. Link looked out the window and saw the trashy, gaudy lights of the Super Item Mart and his soul died a little, reminding him of his dismal life.**

"_**Seven rupees, please," **_**the tram computer said.**

**Link tossed the faire into the receptacle. The door opened and he stepped out into the cool spring night, eyed the tear in his coat, checked the message in his back pocket and walked into the store.**

**It looked exactly the same as his store back in Castle City, but seemed a little calmer. Link thought it was probably because this store didn't have his uncle in it.**

**He walked up to the manager's booth and said to the attendant, "I'm here to deliver a message to Groya from Jeb at the Castle City store."**

**The manager on duty picked up the receiver and said, "Groya to the front. Groya to the front." It echoed over the speaker system in the store.**

**Link waited in anticipation. A few minutes passed, but still no Groya. Then the receiver rang. The manager picked it up and said, "Front?" Then, "Uh huh," followed by another "uh huh." He ended the call and said to Link, "Groya wants you to go to the back."**

**Knowing exactly where to go-- because all the stores were exactly the same-- Link walked to the back, through the employee doors and toward the office. "Sir?" Link asked, knocking on the partially opened office door.**

**A skinny, waifish man, completely effeminate, turned in his chair and faced Link. "Can I help you, dearie?"**

**Link was a little taken aback when he saw the owner wearing a female wig and full-faced makeup. "Uhh," he started, "This is from Jeb, in Castle City." He handed Groya the letter, noting the man's freshly painted fingernails. He snatched away his hand in one deft, homophobic move.**

**Groya opened the letter and eyed it for a moment. He put on his glasses and began reading. Then he pulled off his wig and rubbed his face. "Oh no," he said apprehensively.**

"**Sir?" Link questioned.**

**Looking up from the letter, with obvious discontent on his face, Groya said to Link, "Nothing, nothing. You'd better get home. It's getting late."**

**Link nodded and turned to the door. He walked out of the office, then realized he might need to ask if there would be a message back to Jeb, so he turned around.**

**Before he could get into the office, he heard Groya whisper, "The wizard is back. My goddesses. The wizard is **_**really**_** back."**

**Link decided not to go back in after hearing this last comment. Other than legends and the fiction shows he watched on the picto-tube in his spare time, he had no clue what a wizard was-- let alone there being a real one.**

**He dwelled on Groya's comment as he marched out of the store, anxious to get home, knowing he was in for it when he got back. It bothered him. "A wizard?" he thought to himself.**

**Looking around the foreign city, he had to find a train back. Finding a city map, he found the location of the train and headed in that direction.**

**It didn't take long to realize the north side wasn't the friendly side of town. Worried about his surroundings, he zipped his coat, stuck his hands in his pocket and tried to look as inconspicuous as possible-- even though an old man was exposing himself just down the block from where he stood. It still didn't leave him, though. "The wizard is back."**

**---**

**Thankfully getting off the train at the station closest to his house in Castle City, Link knew what was coming when he got inside. Opening the door, he saw his uncle passed out in his chair, beer bottles broken around him, complete with a dirty magazine in his lap. "Must have been one heck of a night," Link laughed to himself.  
**

**Link was pleased he avoided that one. He tiptoed to the desk, quietly closed the screen on the picto-comp and took the device to his bedroom.**

**Logging into the network, Link began checking his messages. Before he could start reading, he got an invitation to chat.**

"**Zelda," he mouthed, seeing the invite. He accepted, and laughed at her username, as he always did.**

**_PinkPrincess1:_ Where were you this afternoon? When Lola and I left the mall, we stopped by the mart to look for you.**

**_Herooflegend:_ I had to take a trip to Kakariko. Work related.**

**_Herooflegend:_ Got attacked by some moblins, too.**

**_PinkPrincess1: _Oh no! Are you hurt?**

**_Herooflegend: _Nah. One of the guards helped me out. He was awesome.**

**_PinkPrincess1:_ That's great! What was his name?**

**_Herooflegend: _Morup, I think.**

**_PinkPrincess1:_ Hmm. I don't know him, but I'll be sure he gets a commendation.**

**_Herooflegend:_ Hey now, don't do that on my account. He just happened to be in the right place at the right time.**

**_PinkPrincess1:_ Nonsense! I don't know what I'd do if my Link got fried into bacon.**

**_PinkPrincess1: _Oh, and don't forget, Mother invited you, Tetra and Mako to dinner tomorrow night for a graduation celebration dinner.**

**_Herooflegend: _But isn't the queen out of the country-- in Clock Town?**

**_PinkPrincess1:_ Yeah, but she still wants you there. She sends her regrets.**

**_Herooflegend:_ Do I still have to come to the royal ball after the graduation ceremony?**

**_PinkPrincess1:_ Umm, yeah. Of course you do.**

**Link sighed, then tapped anxiously on the picto-comp, obviously frustrated because he was most assuredly _not_ the dancing type.**

**He was anxious to finish the conversation and get started on his homework. Plus he was getting tired. It was late and he'd been up early.**

**_Herooflegend:_ Listen Zelda, I'd love to stick around and chat, but I'm trying to knock out this assignment before I crash. See you tomorrow?**

**_PinkPrincess1:_ Yeah, no problem. Just make sure you don't have to copy my ancient Hylian homework again. You keep falling so far behind with your conjugations.**

**Link knew dead languages weren't his strong suit. He was better at the practical things, like math and sciences-- subjects he felt would serve him better in his service to the royal family.**

**_Herooflegend:_ Heh. No problem. Goodnight princess.**

**_PinkPrincess1:_ Nite hero.**

**---**

**After finishing reading his messages, he opened the word processor, headed his paper, then stopped. He puzzled and puzzled, then typed on the screen, "The wizard is back." But he had no clue what it meant.**

**He could hear his uncle snoring from the front of the house, mixed with random coughing and some barking. The man had to be having a weird dream. Link smirked to himself. But the noises from his house meant nothing to him, especially in light of the very cryptic message he'd heard in Kakariko.**

"**The wizard is back."**


	3. Chapter 3

***clap* The gavel pounded.**

**"I call this session of Her Majesty Queen Regina Hyrule's 498th session of Parliament to order!"**

***clap* The gavel pounded again.**

**Prime Minister Andrew Balgame placed the gavel on the bench and seated himself in his chair at the front of the chamber.**

**"Call to order," he finished, wiping sweat from his brow. "Well now, first on the agenda?"**

**Castle City representative Joxer stood up and said, "I bring back to the floor the possibility of opening the Sacred Realm and extracting the Triforce from the Evil One."**

**The room collectively groaned, frustrated that the debate from the day before still hadn't died. Then there was an eruption of debate in the chamber, too loud to even think.**

**The minister began pounding his gavel in an attempt to restore order to the chamber. Like the reduction of sound at the end of a storm, the cries in the chamber leveled off to dead silence, everyone waiting with baited breath for the next words spoken by the minister.**

**"I…" Balgame started, "…I think, after an evening of personal debate and introspection, I agree with Representative Joxer. Maybe we should give this a shot."**

**Again, the chamber erupted in cacophony. The prime minister began pounding his gavel again.**

**This time the room didn't get quiet.**

**Incredulous, anger brimmed within him, shouting the word, "Silence!" Which echoed through the chambers in an otherworldly and magical way. It stunned the members of parliament, and all remained quiet.**

**Everyone was too afraid to speak.**

**Balgame started again. "Shall we…" he cut himself off in mid-sentence because his voice still had an evil, raspy quality to it. He cleared his throat and continued, "…put it to a vote?"**

**Gerudo representative Rubicane stood and said in a desperate attempt to quell the vote, "With the absence of three representatives-- Lord Marco of Zora's Domain, Kamen of the Goron and Hirsute from Kakariko-- I say we stay the vote for today and make a decision at a later date."**

**Rubicante knew her Gerudo history. She knew that on several occasions the one certain male born to them in a generation had harnessed the powers of the dark and invaded the Sacred Realm. Once he formed a coup against the king of Hyrule, then he covered the land in twilight and once he created a civilization within the Sacred Realm itself. She remembered what he had historically said about his imprisonment-- "Better serve in Darkness than in Light." He twisted the beautiful realm set aside by the goddesses into his own devilish kingdom of hatred and evil. It offended the Gerudo people, who held the legends in more regard in this modern age than their elvaan, Gerudo and Zora counterparts.**

**Joxer chimed in and said, "But even with three absent, we still have enough representatives present for a majority vote."**

**Rubicante fumed.**

**The minister turned to the members of parliament and agreed. "Yes. We do have enough for a majority vote. Shall we continue?"**

**Joxer stood again and said, "In accordance with our prescribed laws, I call forth a vote on the subject of regaining the third piece of the Golden Power."**

**No one raised their hand to second.**

**Balgame looked around the room, then fixed his eyes on Rico, the newest representative in the assembly, from the ranching community of Lon. Rico couldn't help but stare unwillingly into the minister's eyes.**

**Slowly Rico stood to his feet and said in a monotone voice, "I second the motion."**

**Joxer called for a third to carry the motion.**

**Grinning wildly, a third stood and said, "Aye!"**

**Almost anticipating the moment, Balgame was gripping the gavel-- his hand turning a deep hue of purple with the pressure on the object-- and pounded the hammer immediately as the motion carried.**

**"The vote shall commence immediately," the minister cried. Prepare your ballots.**

**Several minutes passed as the representatives effused over the decision. Finally, Prime Minister Balgame cried, "Time has been called. Please submit your votes."**

**Each representative pressed a button on their lecterns, submitting their votes electronically to the minister for the count.**

**As the votes came in, he tabulated them in his mind. Of 17 present representatives, he saw the votes and mumbled to himself, "Hrm, seven yea and eight nay." Knowing the vote had just failed, he quietly waved his hand over the screen and whispered, "Belloch." The screen flickered in a haze of static and the count changed to 11 yea and six nay.**

**He looked up and announced to the assembly, "With a vote of 11 yea and six nay, the motion carries and passes." He pounded the gavel again. "Tomorrow we will attempt to open the Sacred Realm and restore the Triforce to our realm."**

**Rubicante stood up, furious and spitting with anger. "You imbeciles! Do you have any fathomable idea of what you're doing?" Then stormed from the chamber.**

**She had just walked out. No member of parliament had walked out in more than 100 years. It was unheard of.**

**The heels of her shoes were clicking down the stone hallway. As she opened the door of her office, it slammed hard against the wall, knocking a picture to the floor. Rubicante shouted to her assistant: "Dispatch a message to the queen in Clock Town. Dictate it: 'Majesty, parliament has lost its mind. They have voted to open the Sacred Realm. Please, highness, return with utmost pace'."**

**The assistant did as she was asked and electronically sent the message to the queen.**

**"Now," Rubicante started, "Get a message to the three absent members-- Marco, Hirsute and Kamen-- to call a vote of reconsideration."**

**Her assistant nodded again and said, "Message sent, ma'am."**

**Then the stark reality occurred to Rubicante. "I need to hide," she whispered. With that thought, she darted into her private office and began pulling out the drawers from their shelves and her desk, grabbing everything she thought she might need, tossing it all into a bag found in her closet.**

**Worried, her assistant followed behind her and said, "Ma'am, is everything OK?"**

**Rubicante couldn't even take the time to respond. She was muttering pointlessly to herself, gathering her items, desperate to leave the chambers and to safety.**

**---**

**Link was pulling at the bow tie he was wearing, completely unsure of how to tie it. Rarely did he ever wear a tuxedo. Every time he had gone to dinner at the castle, he'd been allowed to wear a polo shirt and nice pants, but this was a different affair. This was a very different occasion.**

**Then he heard the doorbell ring.**

**"Link!" his uncle cried from the front of the house. "Answer this door. The news is on."**

**"…_Gerudo representative Lady Rubicante Delapesca staged a walk-out of parliament today. While we do not have official word of the circumstances surrounding it, the prime minister has assured this network that disciplinary action has been taken against her unbecoming behavior while in session…_" the anchor droned.**

**Link wasn't paying attention to the news. It was Mako at the door, wearing his own dark blue tuxedo.**

**"Hey Link," Mako said, walking into the house.**

**Frustrated, with his tie still dangling from his neck, Link looked at his friend, noticed the small pin where the bow tie should be and said, "How come you got to wear that, and I end up with this thing around my neck?" He flicked the lifeless tie.  
**

**Mako laughed, reached over to Link and began fixing the tie. "I've had to tie so many of these for when I go to parliament functions with my dad that I decided it was time for a change."**

**After Mako finished, Link turned to the mirror in the front of the house and adjusted the newly-tied bow around his neck. He was thankful to have it finally around his neck, but hated the way he was dressed. Although he did know that this was his chance to tell Lola how he felt, he would have felt more comfortable dressed in his typical green shirt and jeans. He felt that Lola kept no pretenses, so this tuxedo was nothing more than overkill. Still, it aided in his confidence.**

**"You ready?" Link said, turning to his aquatic friend, ready to head to the castle for their dinner.**

**Uncle Fred belched, then grotesquely looked at Mako and said to Link, "Bring me back a crab puff." Fred knew this offended Link's friend, but his own racist tendencies made him feel superior. As if being elvaan automatically made him superior.**

**Link slammed the door on his way out, not even responding to his uncle's supremacist comment.**

**---**

**Approaching the castle gates, two guards, each standing on opposite sides crossed their spears and said, "Halt, who goes there?"**

**Mako stepped forward and said, "Good evening. I am Mako, son of Lord Marco, of Zora's Domain, and this is Link. We have an appointment with the princess."**

**One of the guards walked over to a visitor's log and checked the list. "Right. You are expected."**

**The other guard opened the gate and the boys passed through, walking over the drawbridge and through the castle doors.**

**Entering the main foyer, Mako and Link stood silently, waiting to be greeted, as castle etiquette dictated. They stood around, regarding the ancient suits of armor, photos of former Hylian royals and other expensive items. They had seem them all many times before, but every time they were there, the grandeur of everything still took their breath away.**

**They soon heard heels clicking, coming toward them. It was Lola. This made Link smile. She looked gorgeous, with their deep-brown locks of hair, curling on her perfectly formed olive face. Her dress was low cut across her bodice, hued in deep blue, stopping at her knees. Link couldn't help but stare at her legs.**

**He wasn't sure, but Link kind of knew that Lola was sure how he felt about her. But he was always too scared to bring it up in front of her. Perhaps tonight was the night.**

**"Hi boys," Lola said as she walked toward them.**

**Mako walked toward her and greeted her cordially. "Hi Lola. How are you this evening?"**

**Link shyly waved and stuttered, "Hi."**

**Lola simply smiled, then laced her arm through Link's and said, "Come on guys, dinner's almost ready."**

**As they walked into the formal parlor, waiting for the meal to be ready, Lola asked them to sit and wait for Zelda to arrive. Although they were all friends, when visiting the castle, and especially in a formal event as this, they had to abide by all the royal pomp and circumstance, even though they'd seen Zelda with a milkshake poured on her head, making silly faces-- and they had the pictographs to prove it.**

**They all sat in silence for a moment. Mako and Lola knew it had to be them to break the silence, since Link had always been the silent protagonist in their little group. Looking around the room, Mako commented, "Tetra's still not here."**

**Lola laughed and said, "Well you know her. Always making an entrance."**

**Link grinned and uncharacteristically broke his silence. "Maybe she's trying to upstage the princess."**

**Both Mako and Lola looked at him in shock and amusement, then the three of them burst into laughter.**

**Rolling in the hilarity at the comment and the comedic timing of it, Zelda walked into the room in a pink floral gown and her family tiara. None of them noticed her, but the laughter was immediately broken when Zelda asked, "What's so funny?"**

**Lola cleared her throat and said, "Just Tetra."**

**Mako and Link giggled a bit more.**

**"Guys, dinner's ready," Zelda said. "I'm hungry. Let's go."**

**As they all headed from the formal parlor to the grand dining room, both Zelda and Lola flanked Link and both put their arms through both of his-- a girl on both sides. Mako grinned and muttered to himself, "It's always the quiet ones."**

**---**

**Dinner had proceeded as normal. They had finished the salad course when Tetra came running through the door of the dining room. She had made her entrance.**

**"I'm so sorry I'm late. I was in the middle of a-- err, of something," she stuttered as she made her way to her seat.**

**In stark contrast to the way the other four were dressed, Lola was wearing deep black makeup on her face, her jet-black hair down over one eye and her dress looked like it was made from parts of other dresses. Because of the difference in personalities, Zelda and Tetra always had a bit of animosity between them, mainly because of their different viewpoints, but no one was prepared for what was about to happen.**

**Dinner continued on-- the main course coming and going, when dessert started. The servers put the plates of sweet things in front of them and the five of them began eating. That's when Tetra broke the silence.**

**"Did you see the news today?"**

**Everyone looked at her, wondering exactly what she meant by it.**

**"You know? When Representative Rubicante walked out of the council chambers."**

**Zelda swallowed her dessert, placed her spoon on her plate and wiped her mouth from the napkin in her lap.**

**Tetra had always been the more overt political person in the group, but she was about to cross a line she'd never crossed before-- though none of them knew it at the time.**

**Mako finally decided to respond. "And what, exactly, are you getting at?"**

**Sort of realizing the faux pas she was about to commit, she waved it off and said, "No reason. Just wondering if you'd heard."**

**Zelda, obviously miffed with Tetra, responded dryly. "Come on now. Give it to me straight. Just because I'm the princess doesn't mean you shouldn't speak your mind."**

**Knowing what was coming, Mako put his hand over his light blue face and sighed hard.**

**"Fine," Tetra started, her one visible eye burning with rage. "They say it's because the majority of parliament is leaning to democracy, and the Gerudo have, in recent years, been loyal to the monarchy."**

**"Our current political system is, thankfully, not long for this world," Tetra finished.**

**This made Link uncomfortable. Their discussions on politics always made him squirm. Continually, he'd asked they not get into it like this, but tonight he was keeping quiet.**

**Lola decided to chime in. Knowing her commitment to the royal family-- being Zelda's attendant, and all-- sort of towed the party line, even if her perspective on the subject was politically weak.**

**"Regardless of the way parliament may swing these days, we still have a monarch. And Queen Regina is kind and just. Her ideas on tax reform were so overwhelmingly popular that when she suggested them, parliament had no choice but to sponsor and pass them. Regardless of the political system, people still love her. She personally goes into the streets and feeds the hungry and clothes the poor. And not to mention…"**

**Tetra cut her off. "But why do we need a symbolic figurehead anyway? All the governing is done by parliament anyway. We don't _need_ a symbol in the form of a person, but the patriotism in our hearts."**

**Zelda began to say something, but Mako, ever the diplomat (much like his father), cut her off, knowing her temper was as bad as Tetra's and said, "We can all certainly agree to disagree. Regardless of the way we believe the nation should be run, we can all agree that we do, in fact, love this land of Hyrule and want what's best for it."**

**"You always do this!" Zelda cried angrily. "I invite you all for a nice dinner, and you always have to ruin it, Tetra! It makes me sick!'**

**The hall got quiet.**

**She continued. "We live in a monarchy. We continue to live in one because it's, as far as I can see, the best thing we can have. You really think that giving the power directly to the constituency is the best thing? My father died protecting this ideal. So excuse me if I don't resort to petty violence to get my point across." Tears grew in her eyes.**

**Once again, silence. No one knew what to say.**

**Zelda wiped her eyes on her napkin and said, "If you'll excuse me, I'm not feeling quite hungry anymore."**

**Tetra got up and agreed. "Yeah, me too. I lost my appetite the moment I met you." She started to walk out of the room.**

**Finally, enough anger had bubbled up to the surface in Link.**

**"Sit down!" he cried, in an uncharacteristically angry tone.**

**The room was stunned. Rarely did he ever chime in when it got rough. "You too, princess," he finished.**

**Both of them sat as he ordered.**

**"I don't care what you think, Tetra," he started. "But the fact of the matter is, we live in a monarchy. Who knows what will happen tomorrow. We could be living in a dictatorship. Would you like that?" he turned to Tetra and asked. Then he turned to Zelda and asked the same question. "What about you? You, princess?"**

**Neither of them answered.**

**"Now, I don't know much about politics, but I do know my mother gave her life protecting the king. I remember when that arrow flew through the plaza and struck the king. My mother was the first person to reach him. And as my dad ran up to the stage to check on my mother, the bomb flew into the plaza and destroyed the stage. I lost both of my parents that day. All in the service of the king."**

**Everyone was too stunned to talk. They all knew what happened that day, and it wasn't that Link brought it up, but they knew he was reaching his breaking point.**

**"Mako?"**

**His friend looked up.**

**"Your mom died that day too? Right?"**

**He nodded.**

**"It seriously doesn't matter what kind of system we live in, but that we live in peace. We're in a recession. An energy crisis. And half the country wants to make a change."**

**"More than half," Tetra countered, not looking Link in the eyes.**

**Link countered back. "Shut up. I'm not finished."**

**She got quiet again.**

**"You want to overthrow the queen. Dissolve parliament. Regardless of the political system, you forget that there are those of us who choose to fight and die to make sure you have the right to make that decision and to preserve the peace you want to go on living your precious lives."**

**He sipped his drink, content on continuing. No one interrupted. Looking down at his drink, he didn't even take the glass from his lips when he made his last comment. "I'm sick of you two doing this. You say you're friends, so act like it."**

**No one replied. Save one voice from the back of the room.**

**"Well said, young man."**

**They all looked to the back to see Queen Regina standing behind them.**

**Everyone stood up in reverence. Mako desperately tried to stutter, "Your majesty!" but it had a hard time being audible.**

**The queen clapped at Link's comment. "You're right," she started. "We're here at the behest of the people. We all want the opportunity to live our lives in peace."**

**Walking around the table, she continued. "I remember your mother. She was my favorite. I would have promoted her to my personal guard, had she not died that day. A valiant woman-- Elayne."**

**As she got to the head of the table-- standing behind her daughter Zelda-- she said to them, "Please, everyone, there is something I must attend to. I'm sorry, but I must ask you all to leave. And please accept my apologies for not making it to dinner."**

**Everyone stood up, bowed to the queen and walked from the dining room to the parlor. Tetra stormed through the doors, muttering to herself that she'd never again come back to the castle. Mako followed, intent on returning and apologizing to the queen, but knew better.**

**Link was following Mako, ready to leave, when he felt a hand on his shoulder. When he turned around, it was Lola standing there, her eyes glazed with tears and her cheeks red as beets.**

**"Lola?" Link asked. "What's…" he began, but as he tried, she stood on her tip toes and deeply kissed him.**

**He was overjoyed. He'd been longing for this day for a long time, but never knew it would present itself quite in this way.**

**Lola pulled away, then kissed his cheek. "Thank you," she said. "Thank you."**


	4. Chapter 4

**There was the gate. In a small, wooded grove just outside of Castle City, two large statues-- one of the ancient hero of legend and another of the Princess Zelda of yore-- stood lifelessly, flanking a symbol of the Golden Power on the ground between them. The statue of the hero, his arm extended with the Master Sword in hand reached to the other statue of Zelda, framing the entrance to the gate. The statue of Zelda stood as if in prayer.**

**Prime Minister Andrew Balgame sneered at edifice as if it offended his sensibilities. "Peh. The royal family. That runt," he whispered to himself, obviously effusing over his past-- no one but Joxer knowing he was no longer Balgame, but Agahnim, emissary to the Dark Lord.**

**Behind him, photographers and journalists snapped away their pictoboxes, getting image after image, covering the event. All the major news networks from throughout the realm were there to cover the event that could change the destiny of the nation.**

**"No more questions," Joxer, representative for Castle City in parliament, said to the journalists, finishing an interview. He turned from them and walked next to the minister. "Journalists. Freedom of the press will be the first thing to go."**

**Balgame looked at him, then turned his sight back to the gate to the Golden Land. "Has the Royal Science Academy delivered the device yet?" he asked Joxer.**

**The representative looked around, desperate to get this over with, and noticed a large transport descending from the sky. "They're here now," Joxer said, hiding his eyes from the sun above.**

**Dust was being thrown as the transport descended, causing the journalists to cover their eyes, turning away from the exhaust.**

**The door to the transport snapped open, revealing four scientists in white lab coasts carrying a large device on their shoulders. They descended the ramp, walking through the gaggle of reporters to the minister and his disciple, completely unaware of what was about to happen.**

**As they approached, Balgame began to speak. "Ah, gentlemen. It seems our time of greatness is at hand." He leaned down toward a crate next to him on the ground. Opening the lid, it revealed two effervescing shards of metal-- both gold in color and triangular in shape.**

**He turned to the crowd and addressed them. "Ladies and gentlemen of the press. Yesterday, the parliament of this great nation of Hyrule voted to restore the Golden Power to our realm. This is a symbolic move. Our nation is facing recession. Famine. An energy crisis."**

**The journalists seized the moment, knowing the minister hadn't mentioned the constitutional crisis-- each making a note of this in their pads and recorders.**

**Minister Balgame continued. "It is our intent to open the realm, while using this device, created by the finest minds of the Royal Science Academy, to contain the Evil One while we extract the Triforce piece from his body. Without further ado, please stand back and prepare for greatness, for the time is now at hand."**

**The scientists began pressing buttons on the device. It began whizzing and buzzing; colored lights flickering in and out of sight, showing the device had been activated.**

**One scientist nodded at the minister signaling it was time to start.**

**The minister grabbed a piece of the Triforce and handed it to Joxer, then took another shard for himself. They stuck the two pieces over the emblem of the Royal Family and waited.**

**The two pieces began to glow stronger, radiating their might. The wind picked up, shaking the leaves from the trees and rustling the grass and shrubs around them. The sky darkened and a small, golden rift began to form from between the two statues.**

**Suddenly, the two Triforce pieces began radiating brighter than before, throwing sparks. In that instance, the rift grew into a large, golden portal, showing the glory of the Golden Land within. It became obvious to the crowd what was happening-- the two shards were calling for the third. The Triforce was attempting to set itself right-- back in three pieces as a whole.**

**A large green head forced its way from the portal. Then there was a sinister laugh. The Evil One was emerging from the portal, making an attempt to re-enter Hyryle. The journalists collectively caught their breath, knowing what was coming, but praying to the goddesses that machine could contain him.**

**In that same instant, one of the scientists flipped a final switch on the device, which shot a large beam of light into the portal and directly into the emerging menace.**

**The Evil One began wailing in pain, gnashing his teeth and shaking violently. A large hole started growing in his chest, getting bigger and bigger. Then there was a tiny fleck of gold protruding from the hole. The piece of Triforce was being forced from his body. Getting larger, it took on its characteristic triangle shape, finally extracting itself in whole, levitating in front of the other two pieces.**

**Both Joxer and Balgame removed their hands from the pieces they were holding-- the three parts-- Wisdom, Courage and Power-- were floating in front of the gate.**

**With the Evil One still writing in misery, the device began to grow hot, taking on a red color. As quickly as he'd appeared, he disappeared, followed by the gate to the Sacred Realm closing in a shudder, sending a shockwave through the grove.**

**Balgame stood underneath the three radiating piece of Triforce, which had regained their positions in a triad shape, floating there in total synergy.**

**Joxer turned to the crowd of frightened journalists and cried, "Success!"**

**Everyone began clapping, thankful that the Evil One had been contained and their worst fears had passed. Balgame and the scientists quickly joined in, clapping themselves.**

**"Lord Balgame!" a reporter cried. "Would you please give a statement?"**

**Balgame laughed. "I told you so!"**

**The crowd burst into laughter as pictures were being snapped at a rate so the flash bulbs looked like one solid light.**

**"In all seriousness," he started. "This is a success for the people of Hyrule. The Golden Power has been restored. Prosperity is at hand."**

**---**

**"Huh," Fred scoffed, watching the live newscast from the electronics section at the Super Item Mart with every employee in the store and a crowd of patrons. "They really did it."**

**The crowd behind him was murmuring.**

**"Can you believe it?"**

**"It _really_ was the Evil One!"**

**"What a happy day for our country."**

**"I thought he was just a legend!"**

**"The Golden Power is restored!"**

**Fred turned around and looked at the employees and scowled. "Ok, we've had just about enough enjoyment for one day. Back to work!"**

**The employees skulked back to their normal areas within the store, leaving on the patrons to discuss.**

**Still frustrated, Fred looked to the shoppers and said, "Buy something, will ya! Otherwise, get out. You're loitering."**

**Women began scoffing at him, flustered with his rudeness. The men in the crowd cursed at Fred under their breaths. The children were still clinging to their mothers asking for toys they certainly didn't need-- oblivious to the massive political event that just took place.**

**---**

**The teacher turned off the picto-tube in the classroom of Castle City Integrated High School and said, "This is a great day for our people. We should be happy the Golden Power has been restored. Our troubles are over!"**

**The classroom was also murmuring, much like the crowd at the Super Item Mart. Link, Zelda, Lola and Mako were carrying on their own conversation on the event. Tetra was sulking in the back corner of the room, still fuming over the events from the night before.**

**"Mother really should have been there," Zelda commented, befuddled by the obvious absence. "She was totally against the idea-- like when the piece was taken from me (and that sucker hurt coming out, too)-- but would have shown up regardless."  
**

**Link shrugged his shoulders in an obvious attempt to respond to Zelda.**

**"Maybe she got caught up with something?" Mako asked, trying to soothe Zelda's uneasiness about the situation. "She is the queen, and has a million things to do. Maybe she thought the prime minister was capable of handling the crowd... or something?"  
**

**Lola didn't even know what to say. She was stunned at not only the queen's absence, but at the event that had just taken place. She didn't believe it was possible.**

**Making a scene, Tetra stood up from her desk, the force of slamming it so hard with the motion knocked the desk to its side. The classroom instantly got silent and turned to stare at her as she stormed out of the classroom.**

**---**

**The news conference was winding down and the scientists were loading the three shards back into the box. Two of them checked the device which forced the Evil One back into the Sacred Realm, turning it off, when Balgame interrupted their actions and said, "Gentlemen, uh, please deliver the device and the crate to the parliament building. I want this stored in the royal vault where it can be protected. The queen should be notified."**

**Thinking nothing of it, the scientists did as they were asked and radioed to the pilot of the transport there would be a change in destination-- to the parliament building instead of back to the science academy.**

**---**

**Later, back at parliament, representative Joxer and Prime Minister Balgame were walking down the stone corridor to a room being guarded by two members of the Royal Guard.**

**As they reached the door, one of the guards said, "Sirs, all visitors must sign in and out when entering and exiting the treasure vault."**

**Balgame passed his hand lifelessly in a circular motion and whispered, "Alestas."**

**With the uttering of that word, the flesh peeled from the bones of the guards, exposing their skeletal system, then erupted into piles of dust, wafting down to the floor.**

**"Nice," Joxer noted in a casual way, as if seeing two men die didn't phase him at all, and walked into the vault which housed the Royal Family's priceless treasures.**

**Inside, they saw the device and the box containing the Triforce had been delivered as planned. And next to those two objects was Queen Regina, bound to a chair and gagged, unconscious.**

**"What are we going to do with her?" Joxer asked.**

**"We'll let him decide," Balgame said. "It's his kingdom now."**

**Balgame pressed a switch on the device, which whirred to life, sputtering loudly. The beam from earlier reappeared, materializing a humanoid form inside the vault.  
**

**As the beam was recompiling the body, it became obvious it was the Evil King-- Ganondorf-- being put back together.**

**"Master," Balgame said as the machine finished its job.**

**Ganondorf laughed in a foreboding voice. "Ahh, Agahnim. How long has it been?"**


End file.
